Sermon: Lament is not a failure of faith

Hear a sermon from the Reverend Dr Allan Palanna, our 2026 Commonwealth Theologian-in-Residence. This sermon was preached on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, 22 March 2026.

'Every generation learns its own language of lament, a deep cry of sorrow. There are the private griefs we carry quietly; illness, loss, and disappointment. We gather in a place where stone remembers what people often forget. Here, the powerful have knelt sometimes humbly, sometimes reluctantly perhaps, before a truth greater than power itself. This place reminds us that history is not neutral. It judges us. We meet today in a world whose order is fractured, economically, politically, morally. The postures of cooperation that once held nations together now strain under the weight of suspicion. Markets move faster than mercy. Borders harden while hearts grow weary. Systems built in the language of progress too often deliver inequality, extracting wealth while eroding dignity. Too many flourish because others are forgotten...'

Read the full text of the sermon here: www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-sermons/sermon-evensong-lent-5-2026